Fish Is The Principal Food Of Both Small And Large,
And They Are Much Assisted In Catching Them By Their
Broad, scaly tails.
Sometimes an alligator, viewing a man in the water from the opposite bank,
rushes across the stream
With wonderful agility, as is seen
by the high ripple he makes on the surface caused by his rapid motion
at the bottom; but in general they act by stealth, sinking underneath
as soon as they see man. They seldom leave the water to catch prey,
but often come out by day to enjoy the pleasure of basking in the sun.
In walking along the bank of the Zouga once, a small one,
about three feet long, made a dash at my feet, and caused me
to rush quickly in another direction; but this is unusual,
for I never heard of a similar case. A wounded leche,
chased into any of the lagoons in the Barotse valley,
or a man or dog going in for the purpose of bringing out a dead one,
is almost sure to be seized, though the alligators may not appear
on the surface. When employed in looking for food they keep out of sight;
they fish chiefly by night. When eating, they make a loud, champing noise,
which when once heard is never forgotten.
The young, which had come out of the nests where we spent the night,
did not appear wary; they were about ten inches long, with yellow eyes,
and pupil merely a perpendicular slit.
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